Titans beat the Steelers, roll into AFC Championship game

The Tennessee Titans are on a roll and will be heading to the AFC Championship Game on Sunday to face the Oakland Raiders after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-31, in overtime last Saturday.

Both the Titans and the Steelers played a very physical game and stars from both teams were affected. Titans' running back Eddie George sustained a concussion on the fist play of the second half and was not available for the rest of the game, while Steelers' wide receiver Plaxico Burress and linebacker Kendrell Bell both missed some playing time.

Although the final score was close, it appeared that the Titans were going to make an example out of the Steelers from the onset. The Titans came out and scored on a 52-yard drive in the first quarter after Steelers' quarterback Tommy Maddux threw an interception. The pass was intended for Burress, but he slipped and Samari Rolle picked the ball off for the Titans.

Seven plays later, Titan's quarterback Steve McNair took a run up the middle for eight yards to give the Titans an early 7-0 lead. George would then make it 14-0 with a one-yard touchdown run just before the start of the second quarter.

That is when things began to unravel for the Titans. George lost a rare fumble inside the Steelers' 10-yard line and Maddux quickly found wide receiver Hines Ward with an eight-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-7.

The Steelers added two field goals by Jeff Reed to make the score 14-13 at halftime.

On the first play of the second half, George would fumble again in a collision with the Steelers' Casey Hampton and Pittsburgh capitalized on that miscue with a 31-yard touchdown run by Amos Zereoue on the very next play. The tide was beginning to turn as the Steelers had scored 20 unanswered points.

That is when the Titans came back with two eight-play drives. McNair, who has led the Titans all season, found tight end Frank Wycheck in the end zone with a seven-yard touchdown pass and tight end Erron Kinney with a two-yard touchdown toss.

The Steelers scored 10 more points and Titans' kicker Joe Nedney tied the game at 31-31 with a 42-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Nedney made a 26-yard field to win the game. Nedney actually had four chances to make the game-winning field goal.

Nedney missed a 48-yard field goal while the game was still in regulation. He then made the first overtime kick from 31 yards out, but the Steelers had called a timeout before the play. After a premature fireworks display, Nedney lined up and missed the next kick. However, a penalty on the Steelers moved the ball five yards closer and Nedney nailed the game winner.

Wycheck appeared to be the key as he finished the game with 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. He only caught 40 passes for 346 yards during the season and was just an afterthought in the minds of the Steelers.

McNair had one of his best games by completing 27 of 44 passes for 338 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also his usual self by playing with a swollen hand and skin torn from his thumb, all on his throwing hand.

Second-year wide receiver's Drew Bennett and Justin McCareins also played well for the injured Kevin Dyson. Bennett hauled in seven receptions for 85 yards and McCareins caught two passes for 53 yards; his two came on the winning drive in overtime.

Although the turnovers were uncharacteristic, the Titans will need to eliminate their mistakes against the Raiders if they want to win and return to the Super Bowl. Actually, the Titans may be thinking about revenge. In week four of this season, the Titans were manhandled by the Raiders, 52-25, at Network Associates Coliseum.

The Titans were a different team then and any resemblance will be unlikely.

Any questions or comments? E-mail me at brianpehl@hotmail.com